Since its inception, the music of Portland, Oregon's 1939 Ensemble has always explored the relationship between rhythm and melody. On the quartet's new EP Beats & Saints, that connection - between pulse and phrase - is turned inside out. The record finds vibraphonist José Medeles, percussionist David Coniglio, trumpeter Josh Thomas, and guitarist Knate Carter in a loose, playful mode, interpreting songs by Charles Mingus, Björk, the Breeders, and Stereolab, alongside two new Ensemble originals.